Destined
by Chereche
Summary: A/U. On a routine shopping expedition to the mall, Burt stumbles across the person who would change his son's life.


Burt wasn't quite sure what he was feeling. Perhaps it was because it had been years, nearly two decades to be more precise, since he had last felt this inkling urge to search for someone. Initially he had ignored it, however, by the time he had gotten the last of the items of Carole's list, what had started as an odd feeling had escalated into an urge to go in a certain direction. It was not particularly strong; indeed, if he had truly wanted to, Burt knew that he could have simply shrugged off the feeling and continued along his way. But he was curious, very curious about the person who was eliciting such a feeling from him.

It took him several minutes in which he had to stop several times to re-orient himself before continuing. It was as if the person he was seeking was actively moving as well. Finally though, whoever it was seemed to settle into one general location, and from there, it was quite easy for Burt to hone in on the person and move to where they were. As he navigated through the crowd at the mall, he took the time to analyse deeper what he was feeling. It was not attraction or even fear. It was considerably weaker than the feelings that had swept him away when he had first looked up from his menu in that small diner in the middle of nowhere to find a chestnut brown haired goddess looking down at him with a shy, yet friendly smile, wanting to take his order. That feeling had been undeniable. His breakfast had ended with him sweeping his future wife off her feet and dangling her above him for long moments so that he could look into eyes that were unique go her until their son had come about that is.

This feeling though was different. It was not romantic, not at all but still…

Affection, he decided.

What he was feeling right now was the urge to ruffle a head, to offer a hug or two, or laugh when whoever it was was being especially amusing. The feeling grew minutely stronger the more he walked, signalling that he was near. Whoever this person was, he was feeling a deeply rooted affection for them. They were not kin to his soul directly, but, as his eyes finally narrowed in on the source of what he was feeling, he recognised that he was undoubtedly meant for his son. Relatives, especially those of the immediate family, often had souls that were in some way intrinsically similar. The smartly dressed teenager he was now approaching had a hand over his chest, kneading absently as he looked around, undoubtedly feeling an echo of what Burt himself was feeling. This boy, whoever he was, was meant for his Kurt, and, in lieu of his son, the similarities between his soul and his son's had drawn a reaction from him.

The teenager was not alone, he realised. Besides him was a woman around his height, looking around her with a curious but slightly knowing expression that Burt himself expected that he was sporting. Behind him, also scanning the area was a man of Burt's height who, from this distance, clearly had given his colouring to his son.

Burt cleared his throat as he reached them, oddly glad for some reason that he had allowed Kurt to dress him in one of his 'finer' plaids than the crumpled one he had originally worn.

"Hello there," he greeted, resisting the urge to start scratching at his scalp beneath his cap. "I think the person you're looking around for is me."

Three pairs of eyes honed in on him immediately, but Burt's was riveted by the teenager's. Hazel eyes stared upwards at him in brief confusion before they lit up in delight. "It's you!" he declared in a soft, engaging tone that Burt knew immediately that Kurt would love. "You've what I'm feeling."

"Yeah kid," he replied gruffly, before focussing on the people he assumed were his parents. "My name's Burt Hummel," he explained, offering his hand out to the man, and then the woman. "I started sensing your kid a few minutes ago. Unless I'm mistaken, and I don't think I am, your boy's destined for my son."

"We thought that something so was the case," the woman answered warmly. "Blaine just took off a few minutes ago. We found him here."

"He wasn't showing the classical symptoms," the man continued, "so I guessed that it was a relation, and not his actual destined. It was the same with me, and my wife here. I'm Devon by the way, and this is my wife Christine. I met her through her sister."

"They were in the same college class," Christine said with a tinkering laugh. "Imagine my surprise when, in my junior year of high school, my sister calls home to say that she'd found my soul mate."

"Well given how my son is," Burt chuckled, "I'm not too surprised that I found his in a shopping centre. What's your name, son?"

"Blaine Anderson, sir," he replied, still staring at him.

"It's Burt, kid," he bid. "Something tells me I'll be seeing a lot of you from now on, so drop the formalities okay?"

OOOOOOOO

It had taken them a few minutes to come up with a plan of action. Burt would have personally preferred to wait, to give Kurt a bit of warning that his love had been found. However, Blaine had directed such an effective puppy dog face that Burt had found himself almost unknowingly reaching out to pat the kid's shoulder while nodding. His father had, after Blaine had skipped ahead happily with his mother, told Burt that there just was no saying no to that face, gained from and mastered under his mother's tutelage. Burt had laughed, admitting that Kurt had a similar expression that had gotten him any he wanted. It would be interesting to see them together. The division they had created was maintained when they reached their vehicles, Blaine's father opting to join Burt while the remainder of his family followed in their vehicle.

"It's kind of strange you know," Burt said a few minutes into the journey, "I honestly had no idea what I was feeling at first when I felt it. I had actually thought for a second that someone from my first wife's family was here. But that was impossible seeing that they're all in France now."

"Your first wife?"

Burt caught the hesitance in his tone and laughed ruefully. "I'm sorry. I'd forgotten how strange that sounds. My first wife – Kurt's mom, she died a little after Kurt's eight birthday. God, it's been eight years since then. She was my destined. We were married within three months I think, although Kurt took a few years longer to come to us."

"I married Christine a week after we met," Devon said softly. "I know, it seems crazy but I just couldn't wait. Nothing happened," he hurried to add. "She had just turned sixteen at the time and I still had three years of college before my father would even trust me to start helping out full time with the family business. But still, we didn't wait. I think it was the romance of it all, you know, love struck lovers getting married and then moving on to a happy ending."

"Sounds like a fairy tale."

"With a happy ending, thankfully," he said ruefully. "Cooper – our oldest – came along after we were married nearly seven years. Blaine was admittedly a beloved accident ten years later."

Burt guffawed loudly at that. "Well I picked myself up a step-son alongside my second wife. Her name's Carole. Kurt introduced us during a parent teacher conference back in middle school. She'd lost her destined while pregnant with my step-son. His name is Finn. It wasn't anything instant for either of us, but, after a couple months and my heart attack, something changed. I guess rallying through that was enough to form some sort of connection between us and we took it from there. We've been married for a little over two years now."

"That's a rare thing Burt," Devon told him.

"I know," Burt confirmed, "but it did, and does, feel right. I won't pretend that it's as griping or exotic as it was with Elizabeth, but with Carole, it's like I found an old friend I haven't seen for years."

"How did that work out though? Integrating two families together like that. I can barely get Cooper and Blaine to be civil to each other for longer than ten minutes."

Burt chuckled. "Believe me, the boys fight, sometimes viciously, but it always works out in the end somehow. Carole and Kurt get along amazingly. They're always in their own world talking about fashion and cooking and a whole lot of other things I used to pretend to understand before for Kurt's sake. Now he just huffs at me and goes to Carole. Similarly, Finn acts like it's an early Christmas anything there's something sports related he wants to talk about and I'm available. Carole, bless her soul, simply cannot find the appeal in sports."

"So four quarters coming together complementary."

"I guess you can say that," Burt chuckled. "Now tell me about Blaine, Devon. He's a smart dresser and seems quite polite."

"He is," Devon confirmed. "He used to be a bit of a rascal when he was younger. Nothing too dangerous or anything…Christine used to call him her little imp. He was always climbing and jumping and just getting into things he didn't belong in."

"And then he turned 10?"

"More like 13," Devon chuckled. "We spoilt him; I'll admit it. But after ten years without a baby in the house-"

"You just let loose."

"Exactly. He learnt responsibility and respect, but even now, despite everything, Blaine can be a little imp when it suits him. It's tempered now though by some maturity. He…he had a rough patch toward the end of middle school, and it changed him. Jaded him I'd say."

"Sounds serious."

Devon sighed. "He was attacked at a Sadie Hawkins dance at his old middle school."

Burt hissed in a breath. "Attacked, you say."

"There are some people who just can't accept a different way of life," he sighed. "Blaine and a friend – just a friend - went to the dance together. Some of the jocks didn't agree with it and decided to crack a few of my son's ribs. He was in the hospital for a week, in therapy for almost a year, but…he was changed. I mean it wasn't unexpected. One simply does not get beat up like that and escape unscathed. He became a lot more serious and reserved. It wasn't until his sophomore year when he joined his school's glee club that we started seeing some signs of that old Blaine."

Burt whistled. "I'm starting to see the similarities."

"Kurt's been attacked?" Devon asked.

"Not a beating," Burt told him, "more like a sustained attack I never found out about until I got a call from his school that he and Finn, alongside most of his glee club was in trouble for fighting with a bunch of jocks. Kurt hid it from me because he thought I didn't need to have further complications because of his sexuality.

"Lima's a backward place, Devon. We get phone calls and hate letters regarding Kurt's sexuality. But I never realised it was physical. Kurt's a great actor. When I finally got the truth out of him, he admitted that he'd been getting slammed into lockers, tossed into dumpers and locked into Port-a-potties since he entered high school. It started to get worse, and a jock threatened to kill him. Finn found Kurt crumpled in a hallway crying and lost it. He rounded up the guys of the glee club and they started a fight with the other jocks. The girls assisted in their own way, and so the lot was rounded up in the office."

"When was this?"

"A few weeks ago. By the time the whole thing got untangled, the glee club guys got two weeks of detention as the fight instigators, and the girls got a week. Kurt didn't do anything so he was let off. The jocks though…" Burt broke off to chuckle darkly. "It seems like the fight was the last straw and the teachers who had been complaining about the abuse Kurt and the other unpopular kids were suffering stormed the office while we were in there. They were led by Coach Sylvester who had actually gone behind the principal's back and taken statements and accounts from students and teachers alike. With that wall of pressure and the fact that the jocks admitted to what they were doing once their parents took over questioning, suspensions and expulsions were handed out. The jock who threatened Kurt is in some sort of military school I think and the remainder of them ended their suspensions last week but are on probation."

"At least some good came of it."

"I suppose. Kurt's a lot happier at school now, but he's still shy and jumpy, especially if he's tired. Blaine'll be good for him; he seems to have a calming nature."

"And it sounds like Kurt can be quite charismatic when it suits him."

"He got that from Elizabeth," Burt said proudly. "That little minx could have sold a stripped coat to a tiger if she wanted. I'll give you fair warning; the only thing Kurt took from me is my temper. He's the imprint of his mother, otherwise. And here we are," he added, pulling into the driveway of his house, the other car pulling in a few seconds after.

A quick scan showed that only Kurt's Navigator was there. It was just as well, he supposed. Kurt would probably run for the hills if he had to meet his destined in front of such a large audience.

As he exited the car, Burt could not help but chuckle as Blaine all but jumped out of the car, an expression torn between nervousness and excitement on his face.

"Calm down sweetie," Christine bid, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Kurt doesn't even know you're here. Don't surprise him."

"Yes mama," he replied, his eyes riveted on the house.

"Oh boy," Devon said with a rueful smile. "It's only mama and papa when he's too emotional."

"Should we wait a minute?"

"Nah. He's excited, not upset."

"Good to know," he responded as he opened the front door.

As he half expected, he could hear music and Kurt singing from the kitchen area alongside the smell of baking. A typical Saturday afternoon, he thought with some fondness.

"Kurt?" he called. "Bud, can you come in here? We have company."

"Really? Give me a minute, I just need to rinse my hands. Who'd you bring? Ernie?"

"Come and see," Burt bid, directing them to the living room.

Devon and Christine claimed the love seat, while Blaine stood looking towards where Kurt voice was emanating with a slightly dreamy expression. "His voice sounds like an angel," he said to no-one in particular.

"I gotta talk to you about something later, okay dad?" Kurt said as he entered the room.

"Sure thing bud," he replied. "These are the Andersons," he introduced, gauging Kurt's reactions carefully.

Kurt had instinctively plastered a social smile on his face, although Burt saw the moment it faltered. The position of the room made it so that Kurt first saw the elder Andersons, and Burt saw the moment a flicker of recognition crossed Kurt's face. His hand flew up to his chest immediately and he eyed them for a long moment before, almost automatically, turning to where Blaine was rooted.

Burt could only watch as Kurt's eyes widened almost comically as he took in the teenager before him, his breath escaping in a rush.

"Kurt," he whispered after several long moments passed. "Do you recognise who this is, buddy?"

Kurt made a nondescript sound, took an instinctive step forward before pausing, a blush quickly creeping up his neck and onto his face. Burt was briefly reminded of Elizabeth, and the fact that her face had taken on a similarly rosy colour before, with something akin to a squeak, Kurt spun around and swifter than he could gauge, insinuated himself before Burt's back, his face pressed against his shirt as his hands dug into his shirt.

"Buddy?" he asked in confusion, trying and failing to look over his shoulder at him.

"Dad," Kurt whimpered, and Burt was somewhat relieved at the embarrassment and vulnerability in that tone.

He flashed a reassuring smile across the room at Blaine who had an expression of horror on his face at Kurt's reaction.

"Come on out kiddo."

"No."

"Why?"

"That's my soul mate, dad!" Kurt protested. "You brought him here and I was baking. I'm covered in flour!"

Burt laughed, a barking sound that was followed by chuckles from Blaine's parents and a sigh of relief from the boy himself.

"I don't care," Blaine said softly. "I really don't. You look amazing."

Burt felt Kurt's fingers flex in his shirt, before he moved, peeking around him before pulling back with another squeak.

"Come on out before you make him think that you don't like him," Burt bid, reaching back to pry Kurt off him and pull him to stand before him.

Briefly he felt like he was back in the 1990's carrying Kurt to his first day of school with Elizabeth. He had had to bodily carry him into the building and manhandle him (with fond aspiration) to stand in front of his teacher. Kurt had given, after much coaxing, a nice introduction of himself, ending with "My mommy is smart so I think she's able to teach me herself, so will you tell my daddy to let me go back home?"

The memory still brought a smile to his lips, and so, it was with a slight grin that Burt pushed Kurt forward, watching him continue the way with hesitant footsteps until he had crossed halfway to where Blaine was standing. Blaine mirrored him, moving cautiously forward until they were mere inches apart.

"Hello," he said, by way of introduction, holding his hand out to him. "I'm Blaine."

"Kurt," he responded softly, looking at the hand for long moments before tentatively reaching out to grab it.

Blaine's excitement at that simply gesture was way overboard, Burt thought, but, as he would later learn, Blaine wore his emotions on his sleeve (once he was comfortable in his surroundings) and there was little that could be done to stifle that. It was part and parcel of him. There would be many things for Burt to learn about his future son-in-law, and things about his son that would be brought to light only because he had found his companion. But he looked forward to it all, the good times and the bad and even that bittersweet moment when he realised that he had to relinquish his spot as the number one person in his son's life. However, he would ultimately decide, if he had to play second fiddle for his son's attention, there was no better person to concede that position to than to the exuberant teenager standing before him, bouncing lightly on his feet as he babbled to his son who was slowly growing in confidence until the pair of them were laughing together like they were long-lost friends.


End file.
